A lesson from ‘Linc’

Is there a place for complicated formalities in a modern world?

LINCOLN

KEVIN FRAYER/CP

The Honourable Lincoln Alexander chats with Queen Elizabeth at a ceremony to present the Argyle and Sutherland Highlanders with new colours at Copps Colliseum in Hamilton, Ont. Thursday October 10, 2002.

When he visited Hamilton recently, the Governor General of Canada, His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, was addressed by some members of a luncheon audience as “Your Honour.” (If it was Linc, it would have been proper, but Johnston didn’t bother correcting them, and really, it would have sounded pompous if he had.)

“Honourable” members, however, are not to be confused with “His Honour” or “Your Honour,” which is reserved for judges and lieutenant-governors while in office.

“Right Honourable” is used for the governor general (in addition to His Excellency), and prime ministers. The chief justice of Canada can also use it, and on rare occasions it is bestowed upon others.

Linc was “honourable” not only because he was a former MP, but also because he was a former lieutenant-governor.

To complicate things further, even if he weren’t an MP, Linc could have used the style “honourable” even after he left office, unlike Johnson, who will no longer be “His Excellency” after he finishes his term. The style “Excellency,” by the way, is also used by the spouse of the governor general, and, apparently, ambassadors and high commissioners in office.

Mayor Bob Bratina is “His Worship” (and I’m guessing he gets called “Your Honour”) but the title is sometimes also used for justices of the peace also in the Commonwealth. In some places in Britain, mayors are styled “The Right Worshipful,” but the Europeans, after all, still call people things like Lord, Earl and Baron. It’s hard enough knowing if someone is Ms, Mrs. or Miss.

I may be wrong about some of this, as I have not spoken to protocol experts, but I wonder if it really matters in a modern age?

Bratina doesn’t insist on “Your Worship” and most people probably call him simply Bob.

He’s a politician, and they all know, as Linc did, that nothing is as important as a friendly “hello.”

Paul Berton is editor-in-chief of The Hamilton Spectator and thespec.com. You can reach him at 905-526-3482 or pberton@thespec.com.